Heraeus_GB15_Magazin_EN_RZ_29_04_lowRes - CREATING THE PRODUCTION OF TOMORROW

34 34 Interview with Hendrik Trute, Building & Construction Project Manager What special challenges are involved in planning and building the new precious metals plant? The new plant will accommodate several Heraeus operational units, manufacturing hundreds of different products, and will feature an optimized production flow. As project manager, I am working with my colleagues to reconcile the needs of various internal clients within a logical yet complex factory layout. Moreover, construction will be taking place while operations continue at the venerable Hanau plant, a structure that has certain size limitations. Time-consuming approval processes and a tight time frame, as well as connections to other projects, pose additional challenges. What is your role in this project? As project manager, I am responsible for all aspects of building design as well as for the design’s implementation. In my interactions with those involved, I must always be mindful of the interests of Heraeus as the project’s principal. Having worked in a variety of areas – construction, financing and project management – on earlier projects, I am very familiar with Heraeus’ internal structure. This is helpful in overseeing such a complex project. What is it about working on this new precious metals plant that you find intriguing? With this new factory, we are creating an environment that meets the very latest industrial standards – a model for the entire Group in terms of lean production, modern plant design and Industry 4.0. The opportunity to work with a highly skilled team on this project and contribute to Heraeus’ future success inspires me every single day. O HANAU BUILDING THE PRODUCTION PLANT OF THE FUTURE Heraeus is investing heavily in a modern produc- tion landscape. The two largest individual proj- ects are underway at the headquarters in Hanau and in Nanjing, China. HENDRIK TRUTE and VINCENT JI are making the precious metal pro- duction of the future a reality at both locations. A precious metals production facility meeting the very latest industrial standards is to open at the Heraeus headquarters in Hanau by 2018. Production processes that had previously been scattered across the plant will be brought together under one roof, from recycling and smelting to pre-production and production activi- ties to precious metal security. The new plant will set new standards for production efficiency. The Hanau precious metals plant by the numbers: • 1 centralized production flow • 26,000 square meters (approximately 60 percent existing inventory) • Total investment costs of over 45 million euros • Approximately 800 employees • Hundreds of products and thousands of product variants HENDRIK TRUTE

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